Sunday Submissions: Apply for a PEN Translates Grant Before December 8

The award is targeted at UK publishers, and helps them cover the costs of translating a diverse, exciting range of new works into English — while, the material notes, “ensuring translators are acknowledged and paid properly for their work.”

The grant funds up to 75% of translation costs for selected projects. However, they note that when a publisher’s annual turnover is less than £500,000 they will consider supporting up to 100% of translation costs.

The submitted project may be a work of fiction — and this includes children’s literature — non-fiction, poetry, prose, or plays. Magazines, however, are not eligible.

According to organizers, “the main criteria for assessment are: literary quality, strength and innovation of the publishing project, and contribution to literary diversity in the UK.”

They add:

PEN Translates will support a project when the translation is in progress, but not if it is in the final stages of production. For translations underway, the publication date must be at least 3 months after the announcement of the award. Awards are announced approximately four to five months after the application deadline.

There are two submission periods each year, the first in April–May (with awards decided in October) and the second in October–November (with awards decided the following April). The deadline for the current period is December 8, 2017.